'Not perfect but kindhearted': Enrile's daughter pays tribute to ex-senator as he turns 97

MANILA - Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Valentine's Day celebrated his 97th birthday and his daughter was among those who paid him a heartfelt tribute.

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Katrina Ponce Enrile described her father as her "strength and inspiration."

"You are far from perfect as we all are sinners here but, let me honor you today not only with my love but to let you know that you are a good person. And like I said not perfect but a good and kindhearted man who has never forgotten his roots," she said in a Facebook post.

"Even if you have walked in the corridors of power, you still remain the same humble lad from Cagayan. I know that is where your heart is!"

Enrile, who also served as Defense Secretary during the Marcos administration, was born in Gonzaga, Cagayan on Feb. 14, 1924.

Katrina alluded to the memes of Enrile, who is among the most enduring figures in Philippine politics, with netizens making jokes around his longevity and seeming "immortality."

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"Okay we can all laugh with them if that’s what makes them happy for after all you have always said ‘gusto ko happy ka’ (I want you to be happy), and to this day many still don’t get you," she said.

"I just wanted to let you know how much I love you. And although we speak everyday, it’s never enough... I pray for length of days, I pray that you never tire of living, I pray that what you have imparted to me, you will be able to impart to the youth of today and I pray that one day I can make you proud of me too."

Senator Imee Marcos, daughter of the late dictator, also greeted the former official and wished him a long life.

"I would like to express my gratitude to all my FB friends, my other friends, supporters, and my relatives who remembered my birthday and greeted me. Thank you all and God bless all of you," Enrile wrote on his Facebook account on Saturday night.

Enrile's first term in the Senate was from 1987 until 1992, followed by a term in the House of Representatives until 1995. He returned to the upper chamber in the subsequent years and started serving as Senate President in 2008 until 2013.

Enrile is still on trial for plunder for his alleged role in the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund scam. He was released on humanitarian grounds in 2015 despite facing non-bailable charges.

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